Everlasting Scars
by kiramizuko
Summary: [SasuNaru] [What if Naruto took a different path from the path he chose to walk through today?] "My decision won't change." The blond pressed with an unchangeable resolve as he stared at a pair of pain-filled hazel colored eyes. "…That is, my decision to leave Konoha."
1. Forfeit

**Everlasting Scars**

[SasuNaru] [What if Naruto took a different path from the path he chose to walk through today?] "My decision won't change." The blond pressed with an unchangeable resolve as he stared at a pair of pain-filled hazel colored eyes. "…That is, my decision to leave Konoha."

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**Chapter One**

** [****_Forfeit..._****]**

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. =3=

**Warning: **Swearing, Possible Grammatical errors -Yaoi will come in later.

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**(A few years ago)**

The sound of a fragile bottle colliding with the ground echoed within the office of the Hokage as the occupants of the room stared at the other with their own unreadable expressions. For the first time in her life, Tsunade had looked back to all those circumstances where in as the Hokage, she had to go through tense moments and deafening silences.

But this...

…She wasn't going through it as the 'Hokage'…

_She was going through it as 'Tsunade'._

Her hazel eyes dilated, hands slightly trembling as the shock she felt turned into anger and frustration. Rationality had long since left the office at the very moment of the Jinchuuriki's entrance, the most unexpected words leaving his lips.

And she felt nothing but anger.

She felt frustrated after knowing that after all the hardships the blond had to go through, he was forfeiting the fight _now_.

"Naruto, do you understand the repercussions you will be bringing upon yourself once you accomplish what you have asked for?!" She yelled, her voice loud enough to reach outside.

She was losing her calm as the Hokage.

She was showing her vulnerable side.

According to Tsunade's knowledge about leadership, when one shows vulnerability within his or her people, it could be considered breaking the unspoken rules as the leader of a village.

When one shows vulnerability, it means a chance for the opponent to advance.

But right now, she **doesn't** fucking care.

She was facing Naruto Uzumaki as Tsunade.

Not the Hokage.

…

Determined blue eyes gazed into hers with confidence.

"Yes."

Tsunade threw her fist at her desk, causing much more destruction than she had intended, the floor beneath it earning a large dent at the pressure inflicted.

As the remains of the now shattered desk flew everywhere, Tsunade talked menacingly as she glared darkly at Naruto. "Don't fuck with me, brat." She breathed. "You? Leave Konoha? You are being targeted by _the _Akatsuki! And as the Hokage, I cannot let that happen! You are a Shinobi of Konohagakure no matter what, demons be damned!" She screamed, grabbing Naruto's shoulders harshly. The blond stood in silence, his eyes scrutinizing before he spoke.

"Ne, Granny, are you speaking as Tsunade, or as the Hokage?" He asked, gently holding Tsunade's shaking fists.

"As the Hokage," He continued, his expression unreadable. "You saw how they rejected my existence, how they loathed and hated my appearance." Tsunade's eyes widened when she realized where Naruto's speech was heading. "Yet I still hoped. I still _dreamed_. I desired to be acknowledged, Granny. Right now, you aren't your usual self who calmly assesses the situation. You are asking me to stay as Tsunade." Tsunade's hands went loose, dropping at her sides as her gaze regained its composure.

"And of course, we both know that all Human Sacrifices are being targeted by the Akatsuki. If I left Konohagakure, no one will get caught in the battle. If I left Konohagakure as a ninja who goes under no village's name, you have no obligation to look after me for you are the Hokage of Konohagakure's villagers. In other words, you will no longer get caught in between, avoiding such possibilities where civilians are involved unintentionally."

He took a deep breath, his strained smile stretching his whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Despite how much everyone loathed me, I am still doing this for _their_ sake. This was the only place I can return to even though I wasn't completely welcomed. I felt as if I was born with the desire to protect this village despite having the demon who once destroyed this village sealed inside of me." Here, he smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry Granny," He began. "But my decision won't change." The blond pressed with an unchangeable resolve as he stared at a pair of pain-filled hazel colored eyes.

"…That is, my decision to leave Konoha."

Naruto untied his forehead protector and handed it to Tsunade who numbly received it.

The Hokage's gaze turned cold, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tightly held the forehead protector in her hand.

Naruto approached Tsunade and hugged her tightly, a genuine smile gracing his features.

"_Thank you._"

Tsunade's heart screamed in agony as Naruto vanished into thin air.

_**To be continued...**_

**Kira: To be completely blunt, I have no idea where the story is headed to. *sweats profusely* ^^"**

**I merely wrote this out of my satisfaction/interest and I hope you enjoyed it... ^w^**


	2. A new beginning, Part One

**Chapter Two**

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** [****_A new beginning._****]**

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. ( = _ =" )

**Warning: **Swearing, possible grammatical errors- Yaoi will make itself known later.

**A/N**: I appreciate your reviews, PrincessAnime08 and SharinRaven876! ^W^

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**(A few years ago…)**

"Tsk, of all the times…" The blond whispered harshly to himself, quickly and cautiously reaching out for the kunai placed inside his hip-pouch, vaguely aware of the lurking shadow behind a large tree as he focused his attention on the grinning bunch in front of him. His grip on his kunai tightened considerably as he noticed how he was surrounded by Iwagakure ninjas from the Land of Earth without any openings to escape to.

It hadn't been an hour since he left the village, but he had already been caught up in trouble before he even thought of completely exiting the Land of Fire's territory.

"What do you want?!" He bit out loudly, taking a defensive stance when one of the Iwagakure nins made a move to approach him.

"What do we want?" One of them repeated mockingly with a laugh. All of the ninjas surrounding Naruto brought out an odd-shaped kunai, the atmosphere shifting with the killing-intent proudly displayed by the group of ninjas.

"We are _murderers_, kid." The Iwagakure nin stated ominously, preparing to launch himself at the blond who gritted his teeth in frustration and agitation. He settled on fighting physically than using his chakra to create clones of himself out of his own reasons. He knew that if he settled on depending on his techniques which use chakra, it would only serve as a hindrance to him who is currently in a rather vulnerable state.

Had he been any less knowledgeable about the demon within him, he would have been taken over by the Kyuubi right now. After all, his emotions could trigger the demon's sense of taking over his body.

Naruto was taken by surprise at the speed of his opponent that he barely registered the fact that the blade that made contact with his skin was actually soaked with a type of poison which could cause lethal effects on humans and animals.

"Fuck!" He shouted, feeling the effects settle in not a second later. He fell on his knees, his body shaking uncontrollably as he did so. He coughed out a large amount of blood as pain erupted from every place in his body. He could hardly hear his opponents' laughter as he fell on the ground, feeling nothing but pain reside within the depths of his body.

But as he fell, he too, did not notice his opponents falling on the ground themselves, each of them sustaining large holes in their chests.

However, that didn't mean that he didn't hear the words that were whispered right beside his ear.

"Sleep for now, **'Heir of the Uzumaki and Namikaze'**…"

A pause.

"…and our soon to be ally, the ally of Vengeance."

…And then, he passed out.

...

_**To be continued.**_

_**Part One of 'A new beginning', end.**_

_**...**_

_**...**_

**Kira:** I'm sorry if it's sooooo short! TT^TT You see, I had to update early even if it had to be short... and my schedule is so damn tight that I don't have any damn freedom anymore...

_**See you at the next chapter~ **_


	3. A new beginning, Part Two

**Chapter Two**

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** [_A new beginning…]_**

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. ( = _ =" )

**Warning: **Swearing, possible grammatical errors- Yaoi will make itself known later.

tenebreyami – Well, I wonder too.. who the hell is this guy?… XD Thank you for your review! :D

Sina Xiel- Thank you ^_^!

SharinRaven876 – Here is the update you've been asking for~ :D

PrincessAnime08- Ahaha, thank you! :3

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**(A few years ago…)**

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The heavy silence that fell upon the entire village was suffocating and overpowering. Even the children did not dare to cry out loud as they continued to stare, terrified, at the figure perched up right at the very center of Konoha. Everyone silently prayed, desperately hoping that this was just one bad nightmare that would go away once they wake up.

However, the bloodcurdling scream that Sakura Haruno let out crushed all their hopes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…

_They cried._

…

Right at the center of Konoha, a long thick rod stood proudly and firmly. But what hung about the large rod was the most grotesque and most heartbreaking scene they have ever witnessed in their lives.

A person was pinned on the rod with a long katana which stabled and suspended the person on the rod's surface. The forehead protector that the person wore slid diagonally, covering one eye, leaving out the right eye which revealed a crying crimson colored eye. The person's stomach was gone, leaving an empty hollow hole with the katana piercing right through his chest.

At the hilt of the katana, there hung a message written from the person's blood.

_'You are the real monsters, Konohagakure Shinobi.'_

As the crowed mourned over _their_ loss, the Hokage stood silently; refusing to look at the person perched up at the rod.

And that person was…

…_Uzumaki Naruto._

Earlier that day, the Hokage behaved in a suspicious manner which began to call the attention of many people within the village. As she assigned the missions and instructed her orders, she acted rather coldly and numbly. But as it turns out, the oddity of her behaviors were just the calm before the storm.

A few hours after, a long thick rod emerged from the underground, destroying several infrastructures and wounding some innocent bystanders who happened to pass by that area. Of course, everyone began to wonder why. They all gathered, cautiously yet curiously staring at the foreign object which seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Then they heard it…

Sakura Haruno's scream.

Time itself stopped as blood trickled down the large rod, reaching the ground which was a few feet below from where the blond was impaled. Their breath caught in their throats as they felt remorse and regret claw at their insides as they stared, unmoving, at the deceased Jinchuuriki.

No one dared to move.

No one dared to speak.

And no one dared to laugh.

Minutes ticked by, and the Hokage straightened her posture as she approached the blond-haired teenager's corpse with a firm expression that fooled the crowd.

"…Get him down." She muttered the order softly.

But as softly as it may be, the order seemed to deafen everyone with a degree of surprise that startled even Shikamaru Nara out of his 'lazy' demeanor. They had expected Tsunade to react the most out of everyone in the village, and to say that she just stood there, muttering out empty words…

…it was frightening. It was as if she didn't care.

"I ask of you as the Hokage of Konoha that not a _single_ word about _this_ would be told to any other people outside our village. Anyone who breaks this rule will be severely punished." She stated coldly as she watched several ANBU members gently put Naruto down on the ground.

"With this incident that now should be called the 'Ninth Night'," She paused, glancing at the dark sky briefly, before continuing with an impassive expression. "Our enemies might use this situation to their advantage so I ask of you to hide the Ninth Night's existence. We had lost one of our greatest assets and we can't accept to lose more. Don't expect me to go easy on you once you break the rule." The blond-haired woman loudly said, as she stared at everyone's disbelieving looks directed towards mostly herself.

"You had once hidden to him the fact that he holds the demon within him, completely isolating him away from the affection and sincerity of a family, a friend or even an ally…" Tsunade said, her voice flat and cold.

"…Can't you do the same about his death?"

...

The question stung and burned.

But they couldn't bring themselves to argue.

For they knew, that it was true.

…

As Tsunade turned away from the crowd, a sad smiled etched itself on her face.

'Naruto isn't dead...' She thought to herself with no traces of hesitation.

When she was finally away from the crowd's prying gaze, she took something out from her pocket.

_The forehead protector that Naruto gave her… before he left._

"Please…" She whispered as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"Please Naruto… please be safe…"

…

…

Far, far away, a man holding a blond-haired teenager dashed through the forests while concealing both their presences with a small barrier meant for both deceit and protection.

After a while, the man came to a stop beside a small lake, meaning to take a little rest after casting an exhausting illusion within Konoha in 2 minutes flat.

The man kneeled down to place the blond he had on his shoulder on the ground carefully.

As the man turned away, dull cerulean eyes opened as a weak whisper echoed in the thick forest.

"…Itachi… Uchiha?"

**_To be continued…_**

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**A/N: Ohoho… mystery man, revealed! Now, what's going to happen next…? ^W^**


	4. Submission

**Chapter Three**

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**_ [Submission…]_**

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. ( = _ =" )

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**Warning: **Swearing –I'd say there's a ton of it in here ^^-, possible grammatical errors- Yaoi will make itself known later.

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Sneaky-Ninja-Muffin : ^^ Thank you! :D

tenebreyami: Thank youuu!~~ XD

Narutopokefan: Ahaha, here's the update.. :D

SharinRaven876 : Thank you! Here is 'more' of it ;)

PrincessAnime08 : :) Well, let's just expect the unexpected.. :D

clio1111: Gomen.. ^^ I myself don't know when these flashbacks –I hate flashbacks too ^^- will end..

…

…

**_To avoid confusion, Itachi and Naruto talked, but what they talked about isn't said in chapter 2 or 3. _**

**_But I'm sure you'll be able to make out what they actually talked about. As they talk. Again. .-._**

**_…_**

**_…_**

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**(A few years ago…)**

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There was nothing but silence after the revelation, much to Itachi's hidden amusement and astonishment.

Naruto remained seated in his spot, expression stoic and posture rigid as he slowly and silently took in everything that had been said. He was panicking, they both knew it. But no one dared to point it out.

"…Are you kidding me, Itachi?" The disbelief that overrode the tone of weariness failed to reduce Itachi's silent hilarity.

"I'm afraid not, Naruto-kun." The raven replied coolly as he raked his fingers through his hair with much unintended and natural grace.

The blond sat still for a little while before turning his somber gaze towards Itachi, who merely looked back at him. "So it means that you _are_ serious about inviting me to join Akatsuki, all the while keeping my vow that I should surrender Kyuubi to your hands after four years." He stated, quite unsure of how to take the 'suggestion'.

The raven haired Uchiha nodded.

Instead of shouting or resorting to violence like the raven had expected, all Naruto did was take a deep breath… and shake his head.

"You must be dumber than Sasuke." He bluntly commented with a straight face. Itachi remained unfazed by the ridiculous statement.

"First of all, if there is anything I want aside from saving Sasuke from the person that he turned out to be, that would be to avoid falling into the Akatasuki's, hands. Anyone wouldn't be too dumb to see the fact that you are chasing after me because I hold the Kyuubi. With the Akatsuki aiming to do as something as seemingly as impossible as the one that you have told me, do you think I'll still agree?"

Silence met Naruto's question.

"Then let me ask you, Naruto-kun." The mocking politeness didn't offend Naruto one bit. But what annoyed him was the fact that Itachi did not answer his question. "With your reckless decision of leaving Konoha for the sole purpose of protecting said village, what do you think you could do now?" The amount of words that the Uchiha said sort of frightened Naruto.

Nevertheless, he replied.

"Save Sasuke and defeat Akatsuki."

A soft snort.

"I am asking what you could do. With no one to support you, you are nothing but a child who knows little of strength."

"I…" An intake of breath. "I left Konoha to protect it. To protect them. I have my own goals to achieve. And one of those goals consists of _surviving_. If you did find a way to extract the beasts from us, the 'human sacrifices', without killing or harming us, I can't guarantee the safety of everyone just yet. You are attempting to obtain _all _beasts. Everyone knows just how large the power of all of them combined is. If I were to join Akatsuki… just what do you think would be the benefit for me?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing at Itachi who nonchalantly answered.

"Maybe then, you could protect Konoha. With you as a member of Akatsuki, a Jinchuuriki nonetheless, there is no reason for us to attack or infiltrate that village."

Naruto bowed his head, his gaze concealed by his blond locks.

"A place to come home to… if you could call it that," The blond flinched. "Acknowledgement," Another violent twitch. "Strength, knowledge, and power. And if you play your cards right, you might even get Sasuke to return in Konoha."

Naruto refused to meet the crimson gaze of the older man.

"The Akatsuki's original goal was peace."

"_Original _goal. Now, you plan for world domination."

"To obtain peace."

"That is no means to acquire peace!"

"As a Jinchuuriki, you should know what sacrifices are made for."

"Inserting the fact that I'm a _human_ sacrifice isn't any way to justify your reason of dominating the fucking world!"

"But it's the truth, is it not?"

"Truth be damned, I refuse to join Akatsuki!"

"And your reason is?"

"In order to get hold of peace, you have to kill thousands of people in order to get them to submit before you! And my power, the _Kyuubi's_ power, would be the one to strengthen it! I'm sure that you should know by now how much I hate letting people die. I refuse to let anyone die, not if I can do anything to stop it!"

"Then why don't you just convince them with us in… your more 'validated' way?"

"I won't live long Itachi. I'd be dead by then."

"Dead? I believe we have been discussing how we found a way to extract the beasts away from their respective human sacrifices without letting said human sacrifices die."

"The safety of my life isn't guaranteed. I do _not_ trust Akatsuki, Itachi. Sure, I might have placed my trust on you since you have told me what you deem as the '_truth_' but that doesn't change the fact that you could kill me anytime and anywhere you want. As much as I hate to admit it, you hold a superior position when it comes to strength."

Silence.

"Since when did you gain the ability to admit what your flaws are calmly?"

"Since when did you talk so much?"

Itachi closed his eyes.

"…You do know you have no choice but to accept the offer."

…

As much as unexpected the interruption was, Naruto felt both grateful and ungrateful at the voice that he heard.

**"Hey kit, I happened to overhear your conversation about you selling my ass to this shitheads."**

The Uchiha knew that something was going on within the former Konohagakure Shinobi's head at the very moment that he saw Naruto tense up.

**"Let's make a deal." **

_"You sound like you're just about ready to beg to me."_

**"Just listen, you damn brat. This deal will last for 4 years."**

_"…4 years… What do you think you're saying, Kyuubi?! That's the time limit I have before I give you up_ if_ I join them!"_

**"Exactly."**

_…_

_…_

_That night, Naruto surrendered._

_He surrendered everything he had._

_To everyone, Naruto Uzumaki was dead._

_But in all reality, his death was the mark of the birth of a demon._

_A demon who chose to die a hero by the end._

…

…

**TBC**

**..A/N: GAHD. What on earth did I just do?! O_o **

**Um, anyway, what do you think will Naruto's answer be to Itachi's 'suggestion'? Has he completely given up? Has he really died? Where the f*ck is Sasuke? What happened to Konoha? What is Itachi planning? What happened to everyone? PASTA?!**

**…*clears throat* Um… Pizza? Pizza, anyone?**


	5. Rebirth

**Chapter Four**

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**_ [Rebirth…]_**

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. ( = _ =" )

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**A/N: **I thank everyone who has reviewed for the last chapter! ^^

This will be the last chapter of 'A few years ago'ark. OwO

**Warning: **Swearing, possible grammatical errors- Yaoi will make itself known later. OOC, for this chapter because I just really have no idea how to write them out… .-. I tried my best to make them get into character so.. please enjoy the chapter! =)

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**(A few years ago)**

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The overwhelming darkness didn't, at any way, hinder the advancement of the two cloaked figures who had just arrived. Both were silent and their posture was alert, as if ready to defend themselves from any kind of unexpected assault.

Within the darkness, one would be able to notice 10 glowing rings, as such that one was worn by one of the 'visitors'.

The tense silence was broken by the boisterous guffaw of the person who wore the orange ring, alerting both guests of the presence of the man in the dark place.

"I'm fucking surprised, Itachi!" The man laughed, his vociferous voice resounding within the enclosed space of the cave.

"You actually managed to bring the kid in here, Itachi-san." Another man who wore the yellow ring commented, amusement filling his voice.

"Is the brat under any type of genjutsu?" The man who wore the green ring asked, intrigued.

At this, Itachi Uchiha merely closed his eyes, a small smirk seemingly appearing at his face before fading out.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," He stated evenly. "But Naruto Uzumaki came here willingly."

Then, there was silence yet again.

"Would you mind to explain?" The man who wore the purplish-grey ring asked the raven who walked ahead, leaving the other guest behind who stood firmly on the ground silently. "I mean it as I said it. He came here," Itachi paused, looking at the figure. "…_willingly._ A little too eagerly if I must say so."

"Naruto Uzumaki," The same man called yet again, this time, his call directed towards the other. "What do you intend to do, standing in the territory of your own enemy, with nothing but _vulnerability_ as your companion_?_"

The Jinchuuriki did not answer the question.

"Oi, brat! Answer the damn question, un!" A man wearing the teal colored ring, yelled warningly.

There was still no answer.

Itachi cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention immediately.

"I'm afraid that you might be mistaken." The Uchiha stated, his gaze focused on the cloaked figure. "But that _monster_ is by no means, Naruto Uzumaki."

All eyes turned to the cloaked figure.

"Am I not right, **Kyuubi**?"

* * *

...

Meanwhile, in Konoha, one would take note of the gloominess of the entire village, now that they have realized what made them lose the young teen who dedicated his whole life in order to protect the village.

…It was _them; the villagers_.

Neglecting the young child who sought nothing but acknowledgement, abusing the said child with little care of how he felt… their mistakes can _never_ be forgiven.

The friends of the blond found one single message in his unusually clean apartment, those three words crushing their hearts with so much pain.

But they couldn't bring themselves to cry.

**_"Learn to forget."_**

****They couldn't bring themselves to hate the Hokage who merely did her job, all the while dealing with all the pain that she shouldn't show in front of her village. It was an admirable and terrifying trait. She was hurting, and they knew it more than they believed they did. Everyone had to be strong, because for sure, Naruto was the type of person who made everyone smile in spite the fact that he might be hurting even more than the others. He hated the rain, and so did he hate seeing someone cry.

That was why they refused to cry.

They refused to give in to their sorrows.

Because they knew, that if Naruto was alive, he'd do anything to stop the tears from falling.

…

-**Sakura's POV**-

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to cry, _badly_.

But for his sake, I refused to.

It was foolish of me to think that he was merely reaching out to something that he will never attain.

But I forgot that this was Naruto that we were talking about.

He was a man of his words. He never goes back in his promises, and that's probably what attracted people to him. He was stupid and rash, but I guess that was what made Naruto… _Naruto._ It was unexpected. No one ever thought of this happening. The Hokage, the genius, the villagers…

_No one expected his death._

Somewhere in our hearts, we believed that he will be bouncing his way in the village, spreading happiness in a way he knows he can. In our hearts, he was just… there. He was always there. Always there to help, always there to protect, always there to save, and…

…always there to _sacrifice._

Naruto… why?

Why did you have to leave us? Why did you leave your promise? Why did you have to go?

Right now, I know.

I know that your desire to save Sasuke isn't for me. It's for yourself. And it hurt. Not because you were not doing it for me. But because… _it is for yourself._

You were hurting yourself.

I wanted to make you stop. Not because I was being foolish, believing that you were doing it for me. But as someone who stayed by your side, long enough to see how much you sacrificed for _his_ sake… I knew you had to stop.

…Had I known that this was how you will stop, I would've stopped wishing.

Because…

…_you're gone._

And _he…_

_…isn't here to know._

**_To be continued._**


End file.
